“We have received the reports, the lawyers are currently ascertaining everything, and I have nothing more to say,”

Rocket and Space Corporation (RSC) Energia President Vitaly Lopota

MOSCOW, April 16. /ITAR-TASS/. Rocket and Space Corporation (RSC) Energia has neither confirmed nor denied reports suggesting that a criminal case has been opened against its President Vitaly Lopota.

“We have received the reports, the lawyers are currently ascertaining everything, and I have nothing more to say,” spokesperson of RSC Energia Anatoly Khabarov told ITAR-TASS.

Answering an ITAR-TASS question, he noted that Lopota was currently in Baikonur on a business trip.

"We are surprised that this information has been spread ahead of an important launch. What for?" Khabarov said.

According to media reports, a criminal case was opened against President of RSC Energia Vitaly Lopota on April 14. The corporation head is suspected of causing losses worth 41 million rubles to the company in the process of crediting the Sea Launch project. The case was opened under Article 201, Part 1 of Russia’s Criminal Code (use of authority by company executive contrary to legitimate interest of the company). The maximum penalty under this article is imprisonment for a term of up to four years.

The Energia Rocket and Space Corporation is the flagship enterprise of Russia’s Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) for manned flight programs.